No plans to close Virginia Courthouse

There’s “no discussion” about holding district court sittings in Cavan on a permanent basis.

The Courts Service has said a “proposed reorganisation of business” is planned for court business in Co Cavan, with plans being drawn up.

It would see court days set aside for specific business, such as family law, rather than a mix of business being dealt with in the one day as is currently the case.

“This will enable the judge to designate certain days as sittings for certain classes of business (e.g. family law) for the whole of the county, rather than being constrained to hear a mixture of business for a limited part of the county, as at present,” said a spokesperson for the Courts Service in a statement to this newspaper.

However, they did not clarify if this also included a reorganisation of criminal and civil cases when queried.

Judge Raymond Finnegan took up his post as district court judge for Cavan and Monaghan in January following the sudden death of his predecessor Judge Denis McLoughlin in September.

Since his appointment, he has pushed for a swifter movement of cases through the system to reduce the number of cases awaiting hearing or sentencing.

He last week held a meeting with gardaí and solicitors to outline plans for the reorganisation of business.

There had been speculation the changes could lead to a reduced number of sitting days for courts in Cavan but this has been denied by the Courts Service:

“I can also confirm that there are no plans to reduce the number of sittings.”

The courthouse in Virginia has been closed since the onset of the pandemic, with all Virginia area cases being heard in Cavan Courthouse instead.

There is currently no timeline for the reopening of Virginia Courthouse, despite the lifting of most COVID-19 restrictions. Limited numbers of people are being allowed access to court sittings in Cavan.

Asked if the reorganisation of work would mean cases would only be heard in Cavan in future, the Courts Service denied this was the case.

“Since the start of the pandemic, sittings for Virginia have been held at Cavan, and the new plans reflect that current reality. There has been no discussion about holding those sittings at Cavan on a permanent basis.”